Depths of Devotion
by ValkyriesDaughter
Summary: Mermaids were once stories to tell children, until one walked her way into La Push. Being banished from her clan she stumbled into the pack, but she isn't the dainty figure of myth. As beautiful as a dream and as dangerous as a nightmare, where will she fall among the pack once her secret is told? AU story & unofficial crossover. Rated for future content.
1. Landfall

**Author's Note;** I am giving into my secret fantasy and writing this story, in my opinion there is little out there was satisfactorily brings mermaids/sirens into the Twilight universe. So here is my attempt to do so, I am writing this purely for my enjoyment first. I am hoping it will not be a long fic as I still have 'Keep Me Safe' on the go and want to finish that. But to clear space in my head I do need to write this.

There will be some things I need to establish here. First this world is one were Renesmee does not exist. This is an AU, feel free to assume that after the events of Eclipse, that Jacob learned that Bella would not choose him and so he gave her up. A new treaty was brokered with the Cullens that allowed her to be changed and no war to come. Subsequently there was no confrontation with the Volturi. Honestly the Cullens and vampires in general won't feature much in this story except in one or two scenes, they will be mentioned from time to time as well. Mostly this story will follow La Push and the pack.

Lastly I do want to state that this story was inspired by _**'Vicious'**_ by **MonroesFigure** , I am borrowing basic premise but changing/adapting it to my own needs, any recognizable parts from that story belong to her/him/them. Credit where credit is due that this is not solely my original plot/idea. I had loved the story but it hasn't been updated since 2011 so I thought I'd take a crack at it. Also worthy to note that the style of mermaid being portrayed here is derived from the Pirates of the Caribbean.

If any more questions come up regarding this AU, please ask. Otherwise enjoy reading!

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Winds whipped, and the heavy smell of rain drifted on the air. Feet hit the ground and a petite figure stumbled. Shaking legs… new legs… strange legs. Turning her head and looking to the ocean behind her she felt each roll of waves calling out to her, trying to coax her back. In her chest her heart ached, she wanted nothing more than to turn and run back across the shore and dive back into the blue depths, let the ocean envelope her and stay… But she knew she could not.

This was her punishment, this was the price she had to pay.

One of her own was dead and she was the cause. Now two mothers mourned but only one daughter remained. And one friend mourned the loss of another.

Banished, one year on land. One year away from home, away from her clan, one year as a human. She had deserved death, Syrena knew it. To be as secretive as mermaids were, to hide their existence from the world there were rules. Very strict rules that they all had to follow. She had been the one to break them, she should be the one that was gone. Not Amara.

It had been her that had approached the ship, it had been her that had gone it in alone, in the middle of the day. She had heard music and she had been drawn in, wanting to see and know more about the humans. Humans who they were supposed to avoid or kill to protect their secrets. Stories told once of long ago of the different factions of mermaids that had existed- the vengeful ones who lured sailors to their deaths and the peaceful ones that had saved those who would have drowned at sea. Syrena had no idea which one her clan had been descended from but she suspected that her teeth and claws were not made to save men from the ocean. Her clan had remained hidden, for centuries, that much she knew. They were safe.

But that day when she had approached the boat and pulled herself up its hull to gaze at what was on deck she saw a family- a man, a woman, a young boy and an even younger girl. They had all been smiles until the furred creature barked at her and her instincts caused her to hiss back. The humans had screamed. Amara who had surfaced after her had screamed…

There was panic and commotion everywhere, the man had grabbed a silver object. _BAM!_ – an explosion. Amara's form fell back into the water and there was blood everywhere. There clan came and lay waste to the boat, dragging the humans down – Syrena remembered crying in despair the little humans had cried too… But nothing could be done. They had seen too much and none could be left to tell of their kind…

The clan capsized the boat, when it was found other humans would think it was an accident. They may look for the bodies but they would never before found, her clan would make sure of that. Lost at sea, that was their fate.

And Amara was gone…one of their own was lost and someone had to pay.

Death is what she had expected, but the loss of one was too much to bear. To kill another would be an equal tragedy - that was what had been decided. Since she had been so curious about the humans they banished her to land. To see how horrid mankind really was, what price she had forced the clan to pay to sate her curiosity, to see what the life of her friend had been worth.

Clothes were easy enough to come by, pulled from the wreck of the boat they had given her things to at the very least help her start on land. But the rest would be up to her. If in a year she survived she could return. If she never came back… then they would at least ensure that no others were tempted the way that she had been. She was to be the living example.

Having legs was horrible, Syrena decided. She fell, once and twice on the soft sand. But falling on rocks and earth battered her knees. Blood dripped down her pale slender legs. She had only ever walked once before. It had been something she was taught in case of an emergency they all learned to walk at least once on land. Even through pain she knew she had to continue on, even as the cold wind tried to knock her over again and again. And even though the urge to turn back to the ocean grew worse every second.

She had to find humans, a road, a town… a place for her to seek refuge. Perhaps they knew what they had been doing when they passed down this sentence to her, killing her would have been too merciful. With no knowledge of how humans worked. How would she get lodging of her own? How would she survive on her own? She had never been alone, never spent a night or day by herself.

 _How would she survive?_

A keening whine escaped her when she fell again. The trees were close, there was a dirt road, she could see. Humans visited this beach when the weather was nice, when there was sun. But none were to be seen today. In the ocean she was never cold, no matter how far down she went or the time of year that water was always welcoming to her. But in this human form, standing on land she found her body was not coping with the weather. And with the threat of rain, of water falling from the sky she knew she was in a dangerous situation. She had to find shelter of some kind. With that she walked, bare foot along the road, searching for something or rather anything that would help her. Walking down the dirt road her head keep snapping every which way, such strange sounds. Birds, animals, the trees even. She was in a world were there was nothing familiar and she felt utterly vulnerable. Without her clan she was alone, an easy target, she knew it was not just humans she would worry about, but animals too... Big ferocious things like bears and mountain lions who would tear her to shreds. In the water she had no enemies, a shark was the only thing she could have feared if she was alone... on land however she was weaker, slower and not nearly as able to defend herself as she could in her true form.

Then there were other things she had to consider such as vampires, werewolves - the children of the moon, shifters, witches... things she had never met but had heard stories of. Other things like her that were suppose to be fairy tales to the humans, other things that were just as deadly as she when it came to protecting their secrets. If she crossed any one of those things would they know what she was? Or had they long since forgotten about her kind?

Syrena knew there was so much she didn't know. So much she would have to figure out if she wanted to last the year by herself.

Thunder rolled overhead and her head snapped up, she gazed worriedly through the tree branches that stretched above her to the grey clouds beyond. Her wobbly legs picked up their pace, if rain fell she would shift back and be stranded on dry land with her tail - the very worst position for any mermaid to be in. A second rumble of thunder sounded, and she picked up her panicked pace.

How far was she from the ocean now? Syrena could no longer see it when she looked backwards. But still it called to her, an ache in her chest she wanted to rub and soothe.

She felt her legs, so unused to walking, ache and she wanted to stop but knew that she couldn't.

How much further?

Eventually the road diverged into two and her head snapped back and forth evaluating each option. No idea which one to actually take she choose the right to the left and hurried her way down that path before she could doubt herself.

But some time later she did start to doubt, as nothing but endless amount of trees lay before her and a seemingly endless road she wondered if she had gone the wrong way. The air was growing heavy as the impending rain came closer. However she turned her head and saw something, something darker looming in the distance. As the patter of rain started to fall she ran, or well move as quickly as her new legs would allow her towards it. A small cabin became clearer through the thick trees and brush and she had no time to feel relieved as the rain picked up, drops hit her cheeks and her hair.

She literally dove onto the front porch just as the sky opened up and a torrential downpour fell onto the earth. Her lungs heaved with exhaustion, relief finally set in as she realized she would stay dry. The brunette lay on the deck for a moment more before she pushed herself back up and crawled to the door of the cabin. Her hand pushed against it, then banged before grabbing at the handle and she shook it. But the door remained firm. pressing her head against the wood she could not hear anything inside. Eventually she pushed herself up to look in the windows, but she saw no one there, all was dark inside.

Slumping back down her body was weary, her legs ached and hurt from the spots she had scuffed and scrapped when she fell. There was simply no strength left to hold herself up. The sound of rain was soothing even if it made the air even back against the wall of the cabin she tucked herself in, huddling for warmth. She had no choice but to wait out the rain.

Moments slipped by and turned to hours with no end to the rain. The mermaid shivered but remained in place, her one safe spot... eyes grew heavy. Slowly she gave into the tiredness curling up on the porch, her hands cradled under her head.

The last thing she remembered before sleep took her was the distant howl of a wolf.

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Please leave a review if you liked it, would be much appreciated!


	2. Waking

**Author's Note:** Thanks for making it to chapter two. As stated before this story is inspired by _**'Vicious** ' _by **Monroesfigure** , any all recognizable work from that story belongs to that creative mind. I don't intend to have more filler than I need in this story so there will be jumps in the story, anything that guess reviews or responses from readers I may include in outtakes.

Also want to apologize for any spelling mistakes, I writer during my free time at work and don't have a Beta for this story to check for errors. Now read on an enjoy!

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Warmth. That was the first thing that Syrena was aware of. It felt like the sun on her face, except it was all over. Her human body was burrowed against the source and quite content to stay there. However sleep did not reclaim her, her instincts were quick to return when she scented something… someone. Heard a heartbeat and voices filtering into her ears.

"Huhh?" a male groan came from way too close.

Her head snapped up, all at once wide awake and Syrena found herself looking up at a face. Human. Dark hair and dark eyes. The boy opened his mouth to speak but she was quicker. Her hands pushed him back and she flew backwards, falling she moved from something soft onto a hard surface. Her legs flew over her as she rolled back and then she was scrambling. When she had the chance to look back at this moment she would determine that it was her natural reaction to put distance between herself and a human. But in that moment she was not thinking, she was simply reacting in blind instinct and drive.

"Whoa, wait!" the voice from the human male called after her as she bolted through the door that had been left open a crack. She had no idea where she was but she knew she wasn't on the porch of the little abandoned cabin she had fallen asleep at.

Syrena didn't stop not even as she heard heavy footsteps behind her, she flung herself down the tight corridor and all but fell down the stairs when she came to them. She had only one goal, and one goal only - it was to flee.

As she was about to sprint for the door an figure suddenly appeared before her and an arm caught around her middle and lifted her from the ground. Slender legs flailed and she let out a shriek - high pitched and totally inhuman. Glass broke, or more like it popped light balloons and thousands of pieces rained from the window panes and on a nearby table a vase broke, the water and flowers it contained spilled in every which way possible. The figure who had captured her groaned and just about dropped her but seemed to at least have the forethought to instead of releasing her clamped his hand over her mouth and lightly squeezed her jaw.

"Please don't do that." a male voice, from the one who held her stated firmly. Syrena stopped realizing she was overpowered, her arms clamped at her sides and her legs still dangling.

"Paul, please don't man handle her." a voice came from behind, the same one she had woken up too.

"Did you find a girl or a banshee in the woods?" the second male stated and look down at the brunette. Her hazel eyes narrowed and she looked up at him, trying to strain her head back and remove her face from his grip. "Are you done?" he asked her and tilted her head up.

Syrena still glared.

"Don't do that again." he said lowly before slowly releasing her jaw.

Clenching her teeth together she considered ignoring him and letting out another screech. Better that their ears bleed and let her escape. But now she was able to see it was raining again outside... so she realized she would get no where at all. She let out a huff through her nose at the one called Paul. He carried her towards a couch and then sat her down and made the motion for her not to get up again.

"I called Sam and Jake, they should be here soon." Paul said once he stepped away and looked to the other and one eyebrow raised. "Just what was going on when I got here?"

"Her lips were blue and she was shaking like an earthquake. I called Sue and she said to warm her and well... body heat." the other responded before he moved to sit in a chair across from Syrena. She looked to him distrustfully. Now that she had the chance to take him in fully she determined he was handsome, she also took note that he was only half dressed. His torso bared. Hands balled into fists on her lap and her hazel eyes darted between the two men, Paul was standing with his arms crossed over his also bared torso. She noticed that both had matching black markings on their arms, near their shoulder. Odd.

"My name is Embry..." the one sitting down said to her and she turned her eyes back to him. He seemed to be gauging her reaction to him. "I found you in the woods... you were unconscious and cold." he continued on after a moment of no response from her.

"Brought you back here and tried to get you warm." he then added on. Still Syrena regarded him carefully and barely allowed herself to move. She had never talked with a human before, didn't know what she would say or should say. In truth she wanted to leave, but she was trapped there. Sniffing the air she came to realize that _something was wrong_... They didn't smell right. Not like human... well not quite. Something was different.

The two boys exchanged a meaningful look and Syrena stiffened.

"What's your name?" Paul asked and she refused to look at him. Her gaze drifted to the other side of the room as she tried to put the puzzle together. If they weren't human then what were they?

From his spot Embry rocked back and forth, he had known since he came across her scent in the woods that something about the brown haired girl wasn't right. She smelt sweet, not vampire sweet but not human either. It was what had drawn him in to find her just on the border of their lands. Her scent reminded him of ocean salt and pure rain - like the shitty candles that Kim and Emily loved but not in a chemical sort of way. Hers was natural, and yet unnatural. He couldn't leave her out there like that and he had let the pack know what he had found before he shifted and carried her back when there was a break in the rain fall. He had thought it would turn out to be nothing, but when the girl had woken she was unusually strong. A human would not have been able to push him like that.

"Can she talk?" Paul then briskly asked and look her over as well. "Can she hear?"

Syrena whipped her head around and glared at him.

"Seems she can hear you." Embry chuckled under his breath. He raised and hand and ran his hand through his hair, a low sigh escaping his mouth. "Look we don't want to hurt you, that's not what we do."

"If we can help it." Paul muttered under his breath, Syrena figured he did not mean for her to hear him but she did.

"So what's your name?" Embry asked again, and like before Syrena refused to answer. What would happen once she did? Silence and she could see both of them becoming frustrated. Again they looked to each other like they wanted to speak, some shared message that they were trying to saw with their eyes.

"Look girl we are trying to help you. Give us something, let's start with why you were out in the woods like that anyway." Paul said and then stepped forward and crouched before her. Her lip twitched, her instinct was to hiss at him. But if he had no idea she was anything other than some girl who his companion had found in the woods then her hiss would surely give her away. Biting the inside of her lip to contain herself made Paul frown angrily.

"Paul..." the other boy warned lowly, his voice oozing with concern.

"No this is bullshit. We need some answers from her one way or another." Paul stated and his breathing increased, shoulders heaving with built up anger. Syrena pushed herself back along the couch, putting distance between her and the male.

"Take a walk Paul." a new very stern voice said and the brunette whipped her head to see a taller man standing by the door. She had been so focused on Paul she had not heard him enter. "Now." the third male said heavily and she watched as Paul's back went ramrod straight before he marched across the room and then past the one who had ordered him out.

A few seconds passed once the door slammed shut and Syrena now looked to this new comer, he appeared slightly older than the other two.

"Anything?" the new one asked, Embry just shook his head in response.

"I'm Sam." he said after a moment. "Sorry about Paul, he gets that way sometimes." he said and his eyes fell to her battered and bruises knees, still covered in scrapes.

"Get a first aid kit for her, need to patch her up." Sam then said and Embry immediately got up to do as he was told. She wasn't sure what it was about this was finally ticked her last nerve, but somehow these males trying to tell her what to do, demanding answers and ordering each other about in how to deal with her finally got to her.

"No." Syrena said, her voice cutting the air and catching both Sam and Embry by surprise. They both turned their dark eyes to her. "I did... I did not ask for help." she said struggling through her words. Language was different for mermaids when in the water, she had never had to speak to humans or out of the water and it felt strange to do it now.

"You've been bleeding." Sam pointed out to her. Syrena only frowned in response.

"I fine." she said in a short curt way.

"Then what were to doing at that cabin out in the woods?" Embry then challenged her with a question.

"Lost." the brunette responded simply, trying to give as little information as possible.

"Where were you going?" he then asked her and Syrena felt her mouth go dry. She had no answer. Embry leaned forward to her, his elbows resting on his knees. "And where were you coming from? You had no shoes, nothing." Again Syrena had no answer to his question.

Her silence once again filled the room and Sam sighed from behind her now.

"Did you run away from somewhere?" Embry then asked her his face turning to a look of sympathy.

Rolling her lip between her teeth she shook her head. "No... I..." she said and struggled with the words. "Expel?" she then asked and looked up at Embry but saw nothing but confusion in his eyes.

"Leave... pushed out." the brunette then said and motioned away from her body to demonstrate her meaning.

The confusion clear and his head nodded slowly. "Oh, you mean like banished?" he then said.

"Banished?" she repeated the word he had said. It sounded right. "Yes." Syrena then said and put the word to memory.

"Where were you banished from?" now it was Sam's turn to ask. She looked over her shoulder at him.

"Home." was all she said as an answer for that.

The two males seemed to realize that might be all that they got out of the brunette at the time. Sam stepped back and there was a howl outside. The girl on the couch jumped up and turned to look out the window. Her eyes scanned out looking through the trees for the source of the noise. Sam knew that she wouldn't see anything he had told them to shift away from the house.

"I'll be back. Stay with her." he said to Embry before he turned and went out the door again. A moment passed and Embry tapped his hands against his knees.

"You know we are really just trying to help you..." he said to her He noticed her look in his direction from the corner of eye and then looked away again quickly.

Syrena was confused, these people were acting odd. And still there was that strange scent about them, all of them - Paul, Sam and Embry... and they said there was others. Others were coming. She was vastly outnumbered, vulnerable and lost. Even if she got away from them, even if the rain magically stopped - did it ever stop raining in this place? Even if all those things happened she wouldn't know where to go. She was stranded...

"Why do you help?" she then asked, her gaze still averted.

"It's what we do." he responded. "And you need it." he then added after a few seconds.

"We?" Syrena then asked wondering what the 'we' was.

Embry looked outside and saw Jacob and Leah walking from the treeline, they had shifted away from the house and were garbed in the most basic amount of clothes that they could. With Brady, Colin and Seth running patrol this was most of the pack, Quil he was sure would come soon with Jared... it had been a while since the pack had anything to meet about. The Cullen problem was nearly non-existent now. Bella had left with Edward and the blonde vampire and her mate, the big one - he forgot their names at the moment. They all knew that Bella was going to be changed. The elders and Sam had agreed to the new treaty forged with the vampire coven one where they could change someone who was willing and who was a mate to one of their own. They all knew that now that all the Cullens had a mate that they would not change another. Doctor Cullen, Esme, the fortune teller and her mate remained, but all understood that they would likely move on with Bella newly changed she wouldn't come back for a long time... maybe never. The pack wouldn't mind if they all left, the phasing would slow they could have resume normal lves again... Or so they thought until this enigma of a girl showed up on their lands.

"We protect our home." Embry said not able to say more than that. They all suspected she wasn't human and likely she knew that they weren't either...

There was footsteps coming up the porch and the door slowly swung open. In first filed Sam then behind him came Paul, Leah and lastly Jacob. All eyes either looked to Embry or looked to the brunette girl sitting on couch, some even moved back and forth. Her head was down, avoiding to look at all of them. Not letting them see the panic in her eyes as she was surrounded by more of _them._

"Anything?" Paul's voice broke the silence. Embry lifted his head and looked up at them and silently shook in response.

"We need answers. One problem goes away and another starts." Leah grumbled and Sam shushed her with a glare.

"What do we do with her?" Paul then asked looking to Sam and Jacob for answers.

Finally Syrena looked up, if they were going to discuss her fate right in front of her she would make sure she was aware of what they were doing, she would look them in the eye when he made a choice. Her eyes looked to each one of them slowly, each turned to face her when she moved, first to Sam, then Paul... then the girl and then the other tall one, also bare chested.

As hazel eyes met dark brown ones she felt locked with his gaze. She watch his shoulders lift, his chest rose and he took a stumbling step forward to her. The brunette tensed in her place but could not look away, and it seemed neither could he. His eyes became dark tunnels that seemed to deepen and it drew her in like the depths of the ocean, like an unexplored crevice... He shifted, both physically and internally she saw it in his eyes - saw how he struggling to find his balance again and struggling to find his center of gravity.

"Jake? What's wrong with you?" Embry asked from where he was sitting.

Leah looked between the two and both her and Sam reached the same conclusion at the same time.

"Oh shit." they both muttered in unison. It took less that ten seconds for the rest to realize what had happened, well perhaps all but Embry who looked to the others with confusion written across his face.

"He imprinted." Paul said out loud. Finally Syrena looked away from the one called Jake, and noticed that they now look at her with open wonder and confusion. What the hell had just happened?


	3. Imprint

**Author's Note;** And now we have a third chapter! I have been happily surprised by the wonderful response that this story has gotten! I would personally like to thank everyone who had reviewed so far; **HeelsAsHighAsHopes, Sworn2Kill, Chezleee, Mrs. VampDiva Belikov, Brookeworm3, Ealasaid Una,** and **mrnoodles125.** The reviews have been great and hope you guys continue to enjoy this story.

 **_Brookeworm3_ \- **There is sadly very few mermaid stories for the Twilight world, if you ever do set down to writing one let me know tho! And never fear Bella isn't set to make any kind of appearance, that's not to say that there wont' be other drama to make things hard for Jacob and Syrena. So stay tuned.

As stated before this story is inspired by _**'Vicious** ' _by **Monroesfigure** , any all recognizable work from that story belongs to that creative mind. Also want to apologize for any spelling mistakes, I write during my free time at work and don't have a Beta for this story to check for errors. Now read on an enjoy!

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The moment Jacob had heard about the girl that Embry had found in the woods, at the old cabin, he had thought of Bella. How remembering when he first shifted, when he first saw Sam's memories of the night that he had found Bella in the woods after the bloodsucker left her. He felt the familiar ache in his chest, it wasn't as sharp as it used to be. It wasn't the searing fire that used to associate itself with any thought of the human girl that he had loved. He had realized that day when the army of newborns were waking towards them, when he heard that Bella had said 'yes' to the Cullen's proposal... He realized that he would never have her. Even if the vampire walked away and he was there for a second time to pick up the pieces, even if somehow he got to have her... Jacob knew he wouldn't really _have_ her.

Somewhere in the hidden part of Bella's mind and heart, some part of her would always belong to another. She would never be wholly _his_.

He had done what was best for him, what was healthy... he picked himself up and made the decision to let her go. To move on. Because he could see the dark road that he was about to go down if he followed after Bella, if he tried to win her back right until the very moment her heartbeat ended.

But he cut the tie to her, the one she held like a noose around his neck. Somehow he cut it loose and moved on.

It was more painful than being dragged down the highway by a semi. But Jacob had done it... but still every now and then some little reminder reared up and tore at the scars that had been left on his hearts.

However news of finding a girl hadn't brought up that much worry, that was until word got around about what was strange about her. Embry shared his memory of finding her, of following the strange almost vampiric scent through the woods, it wouldn't have been the first time that a nomad crossed the pack's territory. They hoped that unlike the last ones to come that they would just move on and not linger. However this girl was not a vampire, she had a heartbeat... She had been found without shoes as well, Paul had back tracked her scent and it went down to the beach and no where else. With no idea where this girl had come from or even _what_ she was it had Sam calling all of the pack together to figure this out. Figure out if there was some new threat to La Push.

Jacob had met up with Leah in the woods and they ran the rest of the way to Embry's place, Tiffany Call was in Seattle for the weekend, making it the perfect place to take the girl from the woods. Sam didn't want to bring a threat into his own home where Emily was, and the Call residence was well enough separated from the rest of the reserve that they could safely hid her there until the pack had figured out what to do. When he had approached the small house he could smell the strange scent. It _was_ sweet but it didn't burn his nose like it did when it was a vampires, it was just enough to made the hair on the back of his neck raise. It smelt like the beach... like ocean air and rain, as much unnerving as it was refreshing. He rolled his shoulders as he walked up the porch and lifted his eyes when Sam came outside.

"Do we know what it is?" Leah asked rather coldly.

Sam shrugged his shoulders in response. "We seems human, other than that scent of hers. She bleeds, has a heartbeat... When asked she doesn't say where she is from or where she is going so we still have no idea how she ended up on our lands." he said lowly to them before he looked over his shoulder back to the house he had just come out of.

Jacob remained quiet, truthfully if the girl presented no threat then the pack would have little reason to keep her. But also if they let her go and something happened to her or to others the guilt would weigh heavy on them. Paul joined them soon enough, having taken a run around the house to cool off.

"You good?" Sam asked him.

"Yeah." Paul replied with a nod. "I just want some damn answers."

"We all do genius." Leah retorted but snapped her mouth closed the moment Sam looked to her with a sharp look.

"We need to keep our heads about us. There is something about her, she is like _them_ but not." Sam then said firmly and the three before him nodded in agreement.

With that Sam turned back to the door leading into the house and the rest followed. When Jacob entered he first looked to Embry and then his eyes snapped to the petite figure on the couch. Head was best and he felt himself hold his breath when he saw a head of long brown hair. Again in the most unexpected way the scars on his heart would ache. The memory of another head of brown hair, hair that he liked to run his fingers through... Jacob was so caught up in the ache that he didn't really hear what was being said by Paul and Leah.

"What do we do with her?" Paul then asked looking to Sam and Jacob for answers.

That question seemed to get the attention of the girl that they were speaking of. Her head lifted and her face was revealed to him, Jacob's eyes instantly met wide hazel ones, bright and swimming with swirls of different colors. Even from a few feet away he could tell her eyes contained flecks of amber gold around her pupil and the blue green of the ocean on a sunny day. Though he knew it was the first time that he was seeing these eyes they were as familiar to him as if he had looked at them every day. He felt his world shift, everything that had once made sense floated away. All the ties that had once existed for him, the ones to his father, his sisters, his pack or to La Push - they were gone. Erased so easily. Instead strong steel cables snapped into place, anchoring to his heart and soul with such force that it sucked the breath from Jacob and made him feel like Paul had punched him in the gut. Whoever and whatever this girl was she was _his,_ and he was _hers._ Anything in this world didn't matter, the world meant nothing to him his world now gravitated around her.

It took one moment. One look to forever change things for Jacob. The girl with a round face, full pink lips, hazel eyes and brown hair was everything he would ever need. He knew he stepped closer but he couldn't even feel his feet, he was just achingly aware of the distance between them. The scars that had aggravated him just moments ago had been wiped away, like they had never existed.

"He imprinted." someone said from his side, Jacob didn't care who it was. He had known exactly what was happening but to hear that word, _imprinted_ , out loud it made it so much more real.

His brown eyes looked her over, taking in everything that was his imprint and his eyes fell onto the dried blood and angry red scraps on her knees. He felt anger, panic and fear strike through him like lighting. _She was hurt_. The hurt ripped through him and he felt the utter need to make her better, to fix what had happened, to protect. The inner wolf raised it's head in response, it wanted vengeance on who or whatever cause his imprint harm.

"Jake." another voice echoed in his ears, but he couldn't look away from her. "Jake. Look at me." the voice said again this time more forceful. His wolf wanted to whine as the alpha order settled over him and he was made to turn his head and look at Sam.

Sam's eyes searched his own, as if confirming what he had already known to be true.

This made everything complicated. Jacob knew it, and he didn't care. This girl, whatever she was, was his imprint. No matter what happened she was extended the sacred protection from this laws, from the spirits themselves.

The alpha held Jacob's eyes for a moment before he nodded, a nod of permission and Jacob immediately looked back to his brown haired imprint and then moved across the room to her. her head snapped back to look at him when he started to move towards her. He tensed when she curled her knees to her chest and then scooted herself back along the couch. It occurred to him then that she was nervous, scared even... It clicked into place, in her view she had suddenly been brought to a place she didn't know and was surrounded by strangers. Under even the best circumstances she would have every right to think that she had basically been kidnapped. Her eyes regarded him with distrust and this caused a discomfort to form in the base of his stomach, she wasn't meant to look at him like that.

Embry stood from his seat and was going to give his best friend some space with his imprint. As he backed around the couch his hand went out to gently pat the girl's shoulder, likely a motion meant to calm and soothe her. Some assurance that she had nothing to fear from them in that moment.

However the moment that Embry's hand landed on her shoulder there was a recoil that rippled through her body. It was instant and it was defensive. Her pupils constricted and she spun quickly on Embry, her lips curled back and a high pitched hiss escaped her - not that unlike a mountain lion when it had been caught in a trap, and her teeth revealed sharp canines on her top and bottom row of teeth, like that which a vampire had. She shoved Embry away from her and the force sent him back into the wall behind him, pictures hung on the wall fell and there was cracking as the dry wall bent under the force of impact. An equally high pitched shriek that made all the pack members in the rooms cringe escaped her, it was launched in Embry's direction who was frozen in place with shock.

Any linger doubt or suspicion that somehow she was just a human girl with a strange scent was gone in an instant from all their minds.

 _Just what was she?_

Paul and Leah were the first to react, growled escaped them and the male shifter started to shake - not taking lightly to any threat or aggression being launched against one of his own. Sam tried to snap at them to stand down but the brunette whipped her head around at them and her eyes narrowed in on Paul, identifying him as the most immediate threat and she now hissed in direct, teeth now bared at him. Of course Jacob could see that this was a disaster waiting to happen, his imprint... no matter what she was still his imprint and every instinct inside of him screamed to defend her - even if it meant _defending her from Paul_. Jacob rounded on his pack mate and placed himself between the hissing girl on the couch and Paul who was a hairline away from shifting right then and there, a growl escaped him - a warning. Sam jumped into action and grabbed Paul's arms from behind and proceeded to try drag him out before his switched skin's right then and there in Tiffany Call's living room.

"Calm yourself Paul!" Sam shouted as he wrestled to control the other male.

"She's a danger to us all!" Paul protested angrily, straining against Sam's hold, Embry had rushed over to help his alpha drag Paul from the house. Probably not willing to explain to his mother when she came back why and how her house had been half destroyed.

Jacob straightened his shoulders, "She is _mine._ " he countered heavily, there was a heavy bite to his words.

The hisses behind Jacob abruptly stopped but he did not dare look back at her until Paul was fully removed back outside. A moment later when a howl sounded he knew that Paul had finally lost control. He tensed and waited but the wolf did not come charging through the door and he figured that Sam had ordered Paul to run the perimeter of their territory, anything to get him far away until this could be figured out.

Slowly Jacob turned and looked to the girl behind him, she had moved to her feet and was now against the far wall looking to him with an incredulous look on her face. Their eyes met again and locked on each other, each trying to read the other. She looked confused, Jacob knew what she was to him... but not what she was. He was all at once jovial, relieved... whole as well at worried and unsure.

"Leah, leave." Jacob uttered lowly to the only one of the pack that remained.

His imprints eyes shifted down and looked past him to Leah when he heard her move behind him, her lips curled in her direction. "You gotta be crazy Jake, I'm not leaving you with that thing." she said and he felt his hands clench into fists at his side. _'That thing"_ \- those words from her mouth set him on edge.

"Get out Leah." he said his voice hard and there was a low threat weaved between the words. A silence permitted, clearly Leah didn't agree with leaving Jacob with this girl, imprint or not. "I'm not asking, so leave." Jake stated and looked over his shoulders and glared at Leah. After a moment she seemed to relent and sent a glare to the brunette back against the wall before she turned to leave.

"Holler if you need." she said with an undertone of bitterness before she headed out the door and it banged shut behind her.

Jacob let out a low breath and then finally turned back to look at his imprint once again.

Once Jacob had cringed and feared the day that he might ever find his imprint - if indeed he had ever been destined to have one, but the reality was unlike his wildest imaginations could have ever conjured up. Who could have ever guessed he would have an imprint like this? One who was not even human - that much they all were sure of. But there was the more astonishing fact that Jacob didn't care what she was, his entire being had been made for her. To be with her, by her side and be whatever she required him to be. The sight of her hissing had not frightened him, he had been unphased by it all - when she had hissed at Embry all he thought was that he also had to protect her from his best friend.

She was regarding him cautiously, her eyes looked him up and down - like she was assessing him. Her brows furrowed ever so slightly, and he couldn't help but find the puzzled look on her face rather adorable.

However when it came to trying to think of something to say to her, in that moment Jacob floundered. He had yet to even hear her speak - this girl who was his destined imprint. Whatever forces that made imprints had placed them together and though everyone in the pack and even among the elders had various theories about what imprints were and what caused them, all Jacob knew for sure was that the draw and connection he felt her to her was more real to him than knowing what his own name was.

So in that moment all he could think to say was, "Hi."

Of course she stared at him with wide eyes, and she remained silent. Jacob sighed realizing how lame he did sound. Slowly he gestured her to come back towards the couch and he slowly sat trying to seem less intimidating to her.

"You don't have to be worried, I'm _never_ going to hurt you." he said, it was an easy thing to promise. Because even though he knew nothing about her, Jacob knew the wolf inside him would rather die than to ever harm even just a single hair on her head. He hadn't of course expected her to believe him, he expected her to resist, it would be understandable she had never seen him before in her life - but she did slowly step forward and inched her way closer to the couch and then slowly sat down again, her eyes still locked to his face.

Jacob breathed in deeply trying to keep himself still she looked like she could spook easy and he didn't want her to bolt from him.

They could have stared at each other for hours, but it was likely only moments before he could take no more. Reaching out with the large hand towards hers, Jacob reached for her hand lying against the cushion of the couch. She flinched likely too caught up in staring at him that the small movement had still caught her off guard. He paused for only a second and waited for her to relax again before he took her hand into his one. The touch, the very feel of her hand in his own was like a soothing balm. He sighed lowly and noticed that she seemed to do the same.

"Who are you?" he asked lowly and her eyes flickered to his.

She visibly breathed in deeply and bit on her bottom lip and seemed hesitant to answer. "Syrena." she finally said, it was barely a whisper but he heard it and he was instantly smiling.

"Syrena..." he repeated her name, it was perfect. "I'm Jacob."

He counted three of her heartbeats before she spoke again, "What are you, Jacob?"

 _A friend, a brother, a lover, a protector... an imprint_. They were all the words that filled his mind and wanted to pour out of his mouth, but he knew to say any one of them to her would not be the answer to the question that she was really asking and it wouldn't help him get the answer that was not only on his mind but on the minds of his entire pack as well.

What was she?


	4. Phasing

**Author's Note;** This story is coming out so easy, I just can't stop writing for it. Not that I think any of you darling readers are complaining about the constant updates. Hopefully this will continue and we can get to some good and juicy drama soon! Again I loving the support that this story is getting. All the follows and favs on this story have been great to see!

As before I would like to thank those have reviewed the last chapter; **Brookeworm3, LornaRose, Kosongbird,** and **CarleighAlpha.** The reviews keep me going, so keep them coming!

As stated before this story is inspired by _**'Vicious** ' _by **Monroesfigure** , any all recognizable work from that story belongs to that creative mind. Also want to apologize for any spelling mistakes, I write during my free time at work and don't have a Beta for this story to check for errors. Now read on an enjoy!

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Everything had gone wrong. Syrena hadn't meant to hiss at that boy, she had intended on keeping her composure and not exposing herself. However when her eyes had been locked with _his,_ she felt the rest of the world disappear. All the other people in the room with them no longer existed. Even for that brief moment the pull to return to the ocean lessened. When Paul stepped forward she realized she was in very serious danger, whatever this people were she knew that they had the power to rip her limb from limb and throw her back to the sea to become shark fodder. But the one with the brown eyes had stepped in to protect her, called call her ' _mine_ '. Syrena had lived knowing she belonged to no one except herself and her clan, but when he staked the claim there was no primal response that she expected there to him to refute it.

Mermaids mated with men on land only to get a babe in their wombs, in years gone by it was the primary reason mermaids would lure men to wreck their ships. It gave them ample amount of men to sate their instincts to mate and then would serve to sate their hunger. Now things were done differently. Instead when a mermaid felt it was right they would go to land, take on their forms with legs and find a willing male to couple with. Some if they timed it right needed only one night, some would go for weeks... Forming an attachment to the male you chose was forbidden, a mermaid risked banishment if she was gone for more than two moon cycles. To stay that much with a single human... to fall in love... it was dangerous not just for her but for the whole clan. What if the human discovered what she was? What if she told her secrets - of the secrets of the clan?

To be safe if a mermaid took a lover for those weeks she would lure him down to the ocean with her and drown him. It was best for her and for the clan if all her secrets and her identity died with him. Even Syrena's own mother had to do it, only when it came time she did not have the strength. She had to call for her sisters of the clan to come, had to have them pulled him under while she watched, heartbroken but knowing it was necessary. Syrena never knew her father except through the stories her mother told about their brief time together.

Syrena had always been sure that when the time came for her to want a child, she would only go to land and take a man for a night. Humans had a strange ritual of singular encounters with a lover, one that only lasted a night and then they would never see each other again. That suited her just fine, she would only want to fall pregnant and did not want to have to kill so senselessly of someone she wouldn't see again or love. She would go as many times as needed to get what she wanted and be done with land forever. But Amara's death had changed her plans for her life, but she was stuck on land for a whole year among humans...

"What are you, Jacob?" Syrena asked lowly as she looked to him. They had been left alone, rather reluctantly by his companions.

There was a silent understanding on both their sides, each knew that the other was something other than human. She saw how Jacob tensed at her question and her fingers curled nervously into her palm. His silence made her stomach drop. He lifted his hand and ran it through his hair seeming to struggle with coming up with an answer.

"I... It's very... complicated." he finally said after a brief moment.

"You... to kill me?" the brunette then questioned, for the first time Jacob became aware of the strange accent her voice carried, like English was not her first language. It only made him wonder more about where she had come from. But his mind didn't linger much on how she spoke but rather what her words had implied.

Instantly Jacob snapped his head up and shouted out, "NO! Never!" his sudden tone made her jump and seeing her reaction he forced himself to breath in deeply and calm.

"Never." he re-stated firmly but gently.

Syrena regarded him at length and then her eyes darted to the door where Paul had been dragged out of. "Will Paul? - or the others?" she then asked.

"Never." he said again and squeezed her hand and her hazel eyes quickly dropped to their joined hands. He was radiating warmth, like the sun. "I won't let them." Jacob added after a few seconds.

"I don't understand..." she then said lowly as she looked to him.

"Syrena... it's hard to put into words... maybe I should just show you?" Jacob said and looked to her. Syrena felt a creeping warning run up her back, some unease at whatever he wanted to show her. But Jacob seemed to make up his mind as he stood and gently tugged on her arm. The brunette was unable to resist and she slowly got to her feet and moved towards the door. He stepped out onto the porch and as he got closer to the edge and pulled back, resisting and planted her feet before he pulled her out of the protective covering of the roof's overhang.

Jacob turned to face her and saw her worriedly looking about and he gazed about the open yard surrounding the house. Sam, Embry and Leah were across the yard and standing under some trees. All eyes had turned to the imprinted pair when they had emerged. His jaw clenched as his looked to his pack, he hadn't expected them to leave but having them witness this moment that should have been just them was not what he had expected either.

"Syrena..." he said and turned back to his brown haired imprint. "I won't let them do anything to you, remember?"

Lifting her head she looked up at Jacob and her eyes searched him before mutely nodding. At least she seemed to trust him to some degree. He nodded to her as if reaffirming what he had said.

"Em, can you give us a demonstration?" Jacob called across the yard.

Embry looked to Sam and the alpha gave a slow nod. Whatever Jacob's imprint was they all knew that imprint's had the right to now the pack and tribe secrets. Slowly Embry stepped out of the shelter of the trees and crossed the yard slowly. Kicking off his shoes as he went and then his hands went to the buttons of his cut off jean shorts. His glanced to Jacob once more before he took his pant off and stepped from them. Jacob had the instinct to stepped between his imprint and his friend, she shouldn't have to see any male naked except for him... but he could sense her nervousness - felt the way that she grasped his hand firmly. He should have been the one to show her what he was but he also wanted to be able to answer her questions.

Naked as the day he was born Embry stood for a moment before briefly closing his eyes. His body quaked and every part of him tensed before he exploded forward. Skin exploded into fur and all at once limbs changed and Embry fell onto all fours as a wolf. Some growls escaped him and he pawed at the wet earth under him and his head whipped around before he huffed and started to calm. Jacob turned his head and watched his imprints face, he remembered the shocked look on Bella's face when she had found out the pack's secret... but that shock wasn't present on Syrena's face. Light surprise but not true shock. She stared at Embry and then her gaze flickered to the others and then to him.

"Werewolves?" she asked him lowly and Jacob shrugged.

"Not like the traditional kind in movies and books... we change when we want and not on the full moon. But we are made to protect our lands from one enemy..." Jacob explained to her and studied her face, however Syrena seemed to keep her face calm and collected when he spoke.

"Enemy?" Syrena asked then sounding nervous. Jacob nodded slowly.

"Syrena... are you a vampire?" Jacob asked, he felt he breath leave him. It seemed impossible that she could be, she had a heartbeat after all - she was clearly alive. But they had all seen the teeth she had hidden in her mouth and seen the way she had hissed. It all seemed so familiar to the way the newborns were.

Her eyes widened, the question had surprised her but she quickly shook her head. "No..." she breathed lowly.

"But you aren't human." Jacob then said and Syrena closed her mouth with a snap. Her head ducked and she nodded slowly. "What are you then?"

Silence. Nothing but the rain falling lightly around them could be heard. Feet away Embry - still as a wolf but had moved out of the rain again, Sam and Leah were all waiting with baited breath for her answer.

"I cannot say." She said her voice sounded like a mixture of sadness and frustration. Jacob could hear from where he stood that Leah cursed under her breath. She had been about to step and cross the yard but Sam placed a hand on her shoulder and held her back.

"You can trust me. We'd never tell." Jacob said to her. But again Syrena denied to reveal what she was, she shook her head. It wasn't just her secret, it was her clan's and she could not betray them or their secret existence. But there was a small voice starting to speak in the back of her mind, whispering that they would kill her if they found out what she was, what her kind was capable of... Mermaids and vampires weren't all that different. They preyed on humans, they were made to kill them... Embry had said that they protect and even Jacob had said that they had one enemy... If their enemy were vampires would they consider mermaids to be the same? If Jacob knew that she had been the cause of any entire human family to die... Would they only look at her fangs and think she was their enemy as well?

The rain came to a slow stop and from where he stood Sam sighed. With Jacob's imprint refusing to say what she was, he had little choice. Either way the Elders had to know, but with the unknown factor of what the newest imprint was, what she was capable was as well as refusing to give them any information about her... they would have to come up with a plan to deal with her while protecting La Push.

"Jacob." Sam's strong voice spoke loudly to reach the couple on the porch. "Take her to your place, keep her there. I'll call the Elders together to talk about this." he said lowly and started to cross the yard, Leah following a step or two behind him.

"Sam, please." Jacob asked, no nearly begged of his alpha.

"The Elders need to know. We need to determine if she is a threat to us." he replied.

"And what will you and the Elders decide? She hasn't harmed any of us." Jacob retorted.

"We all saw the same thing in there, how much better did she seem than those newborn bloodsuckers?" Leah bit out and Jacob growled lowly at her.

"Watch it Leah." he snapped at her. "So much for innocent until proven guilty." Jacob snapped then in Sam's direction.

"You know as well as I do our duty is to protect La Push, though she is your imprint we have to consider what little we know about her." Sam stated and before Jacob could fight back on that point he raised his hand, a sign to stop speaking. "Take her home, I will find you there, try and find out more from her there." he said and Jacob huffed through his nose.

"Go now Jake." the alpha commanded firmly. His jaw clenched but he turned back to Syrena and reached for her hand and tugged her with him. This time she did not resist, the rain had come to a stop and she was no longer fearing stepping out onto the grass. Jacob did not look back to the members of his pack as he directed her towards the dirt road that led from the Call household into the rest of the reservation.

Their walk was silent, Jacob was fuming about the idea of Sam and the Elders, his own father included, talking to determine the fate of his imprint. Never had Jacob regretted his decision to not take up his birthright and be alpha to the pack, but right then when he felt worry and fear that they might do something to Syrena he was feeling the regret. They could not kill her... that he was certain. It was a sacred law... but what lengths would the Elder want to go to protect the tribe.

"They kill me now?" Syrena asked him finally once she could take the silence no more. The sight of a red house had just come into view and seemed to be where Jacob was taking her but she wanted to resist, if this was to be the place that he would take her for her execution.

Jacob quickly spun on her, his eyes wide with a mix of concern and refusal in his eyes.

"No one is going to kill you. Please... don't think I'd let that happen." he said lowly and his other hand came up and touched the side of her face. Syrena's breath hitched in her throat and she looked up at Jacob's eyes. His form towered over his, she had no idea humans could be so tall. "I'd fight them all if they even suggested it... but they won't they can't hurt an imprint."

Hazel eyes blinked in confusion. "I don't know that word." she murmured in confusion.

Jacob sighed, he had wanted to wait until he was home to tell her but he could not stand to see the fear and uncertainty in her eyes.

"You are my imprint. It make you mine, and makes me yours." he said not sure how else to explain it. He would think that seeing the memories of Sam, Jared and Paul all go through this would make it easier. But as Syrena seemed to not speak fluent English he wanted to explain it as simply as possible.

"Like mate?" she then asked. Jacob felt his inner wolf once again lift it's head, responding to her. Mate was a term that vampires just but it was also used for wolves - the natural kind. A wolf in the wild only mated once, for life.

"Yes, a mate." Jacob confirmed. "It happens for us when we see each other for the first time. Now I am tied to you forever." he said, knowing if wasn't a proper explanation of everything that the imprint was, but in that moment it was all he could think of too say.

Syrena's eyes widened again as she looked at Jacob. Imprint... mate... lover... partner... it all was something that in her mermaid mind she could not have.

"Come, I'll tell you more inside, you look cold." he said and tugged her hand again and started to walk again towards the red building. The petite brunette followed but her mind was swimming, trying to sort out all the feelings and thoughts that were swirling around inside of her. Looking to the back of Jacob's head she found it hard to pinpoint what she thought and felt towards him. He was _different_ , to her than the rest of them. With her unknown fate looming ahead of her she found herself grasping his hand tighter like he was cave in the middle of a storm, a place to offer her safety and shelter.

And Syrena refused to examine that feeling any further. Right now she had to focus on what was going to become of her now.


	5. Escape

**Author's Note;** Welcome one and all to chapter 5! Been a wild week and finally was able to put the final touches on this chapter for you guys and roll it out. Started a new job today and had to sneak myself on to post this for you guys. This chapter involves some more drama and feels and the next one will be even more intense I promise!

As before I would like to thank those have reviewed the last chapter; **HeelsAsHighAsHopes, LornaRose** and **Lyryenn** **.** The reviews keep me going, so keep them coming!

As stated before this story is inspired by _**'Vicious** ' _by **Monroesfigure** , any all recognizable work from that story belongs to that creative mind. As of this chapter however I will be moving beyond the source material, and all content going forward will be original to this story. Also want to apologize for any spelling mistakes, I write during my free time at work and don't have a Beta for this story to check for errors. Now read on an enjoy!

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Being brought into the red house Syrena looked around with careful eyes, though she had woken up in the other house there had been much to distract her from actually taking anything in. This was the mermaid's first experience in seeing a human dwelling. Had been told stories by those who had gone to land before for their breeding time about the things that humans had. But seeing it for herself was entirely different. Jacob ushered her in and flicked on some lights, he would look to her ever few seconds and she wondered if he was preoccupied with his own worries or if he could sense her anxiety.

He turned from her and seemed to be looking for something. "Dad?" he called through the house.

"In the kitchen Jake." came another male voice, it was slightly deeper.

Jacob wasted no time in taking Syrena's hand and pulling her further into the house and guided her towards the kitchen when they stepped through she saw a man seated in a chair... but it was unlike things she had seen before. The man turned the wheels and he and the whole chair rotated around to face him. His expression turned to surprise to see the brunette with Jacob and his questioning eyes then turned to his son.

"Jake?" he prodded as a question.

"Very complicated story Dad, but you should know Sam is calling for the Elders, emergency meeting." the younger male answered and Billy looked between the two his brow furrowed slightly. With the Cullens almost gone from the area the council had very little reason to meet anymore. Anything regarding the pack and the Elders was taken seriously and an emergency meeting was not called lightly.

"Give me a moment." Jacob then said and then turned back to glance at Syrena and then pulled her once again through the house. He took her to his bedroom, it was small but it was cozy, or that is what he had always told himself. Closing the door he immediate went to his dresser and started to rip through it's drawers. Looking at Syrena in the sundress she was wearing she looked cold, it was meant for the sunny arm days of summer and the rainy day that they were currently being treated too made her clothing ill suited. The instinct of the imprint drove Jacob to take care of her needs, make sure she was safe - which included making sure she wasn't freezing.

"I'll have to ask Rach if she can loan you some stuff, but no way am I daring to venture into her war zone of a room..." Jacob utterly and then glanced to the brunette. She looked him with her head slightly tilted to the side and a confused expression on her face. perhaps she didn't even know what he was talking about. "This will just have to do for now." he determined as he pulled and pair of sweats and a shirt of his out. He sniffed at them, making sure they were clean before he handed them over to her.

Syrena took the clothing he handed to her and looked them over and then looked to her dress that she was wearing. The one that they had pulled from the wreck of the boat that she had investigated, the one operated by the humans that killed Amara... she blinked her eyes and tried to banish those painful memories.

"I have..." she then said and gestured to the dress. "Not good?"

Jacob paused looked to her, blinking as well he realized he might have insulted her by handing her new clothes. "No. Not ugh... bad. But you are cold, Embry was worried when he found you out in a storm like that. I figure you would want clothes that would be better to keep you warm." he explained to her. Syrena nodded slowly and then opened up the shirt and looked it over, it was plain and it was grey but it would be warm - or at least warmer.

"I'm just going to go talk to my Dad, just wait here and I'll find out what is going on." Jacob said and passed by her as he went to his door.

Syrena watched him go and when he slowly closed the door behind him she looked back down at the clothes he had placed into her hands. Jacob had been right she was cold, but looking at the pants it seemed... wrong. She had still becoming accustomed to having two limbs below her hips instead of one, encasing their with fabric seemed an unthinkable thing to do, even if it would be warmer... she would feel stuck. Slowly she placed the clothing down on the bed and then turned to look around the room, the whole place was saturated in Jacob's scent and since seeing Embry change into a wolf she realized that the whole of them were shifters. She noticed a few pictures laying out for display and she picked up the frame and looked at a picture that show Jacob with his father, they were on a boat and there was another man with dark hair, brown eyes and a mustache. They seemed to be fishing, she saw the rods in the background.

There were posters on the wall depicting things that Syrena had no way of understanding - she only cursory glanced over them before her interest moved into a small shelf with books, she could not read but she picked on up and flipped it open. It had pictures that showed strange pieces of metal and she furrowed her brows to look through some of the pages before she placed that back down as well and moved on.

Moving closer to the door she heard the male voices just beyond, she crept quietly and then cracked the door open just enough that she could listen to what was being said. Syrena angled her head so that she was hidden behind the door but her ear was angled to hear the best.

"What are you saying then Dad? What will the Elders want to do with her?" Jacob's voice reached her distantly and her fingers curled around the edge of the door nervously.

"They will just wanted her contained, until we can know what she is." his father's voice rationalized lowly. Syrena could barely make his father out as Jacob was definately the one speaking louder.

"She is not a vampire." Jacob responded quickly to him.

"But we don't know what she is." the swift counter came.

"She is my imprint. She is protected." Jacob said firmly and Syrena felt her breath hitch in her throat.

"We wouldn't think to keep you apart from her, but she will be guarded. Maybe at that cabin Embry found her at, the pack came patrol it and make sure she is kept away from the tribe, at least until we know the truth or she wants to be honest with us." Billy tried to soothe and explain but she could hear the heavy footsteps of Jacob's pacing.

"She would be a prisoner." the young male voice fumed.

"It is her choice whether she wants to be honest, but we have to think of La Push first."

That was all Syrena needed to hear, her heart was racing in her chest as she whirled from the door. Jacob may have been on her side... but the rest of them. If they kept her prisoner, demanded to know her secrets... and once they found out what she was... Her head shook, refusing to let herself be lost to her imaginings. Her hazel eyes quickly went to the window and she went to it swiftly. Her fingers pried at it, slowly edging it up inch by inch. The rusted metal track made it hard but she was finally able to get a gap wide enough for her to slip through. She crawled through it and fell the short distance to the ground. A soft groan escaped her when her bare feet hit hard earth but she started running, or well running as best she could. The brunette was shocked by how almost immediately she felt the urge to go back, how every step she was taking she felt equal pull in her chest to the ocean as she felt to go back to the red house and returned to the shifter with broad shoulders and dark brown eyes.

With her thoughts however on survival, Jacob's promise never to let the others hurt her was not enough. He did not know, how would a mermaid survive if she was kept prisoner? It would all be just too stifling, she would be at their mercy. She would be vulnerable... she would be trapped.

Syrena knew returning to the sea was dangerous, if she was caught by anyone of her clan she would face the plenty for returning - death. But in that moment facing up to her clan was the least of her worries, her fear was exposing her kind, her clan, her family to the rest of the world. She had no idea what the shifters would do once they knew what she was... what Jacob would do... But her plan for escape was simple, she would swim further up the coast, far enough away before she returned to land. Maybe she would try a port city this time... she had been afraid to go to a place where there was too many humans... but right now taking on a large city of humans was preferable to the shifters.

She blindly ran into the trees, following only the pull in her chest, taking her directly to the ocean, but taking their roads would be dangerous even if she had wanted too. They could easily find her there. She only had to hope she would make it to the sea before they realized she was gone or started looking for her. Branches and brush scrapped at her legs but she pressed on even through the thickest parts of the woods.

A howl rang up into the air and then it was followed by a chorus as one, then two more joined it.

Her heart hammered in her chest, with the howls she knew that they had realized she was gone. They would be looking for her now and now it was a race... her to get to the ocean before they tracked her down and dragged her back. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and somehow she was able to run without falling as much as she had before - some sort of miracle no doubt.

It felt at if she had been running forever but just as she saw a break in the trees she could hear noises behind her. The earth felt like it was shaking and she pushed, until her lungs were burning. She could feel the ocean, it was so close. The crashing of waves reached her ears, a symphony that was welcoming her home... it was calling her name. Daring a glance backwards she saw the huge forms of two wolves weaving through the trees. Syrena could remember as a child she would goad squids into chasing her just so she could out swim them, or the times her and Amara would chase each other through reefs making it a game to see which of them could navigate it faster. But this wasn't some game now... her freedom was on the line.

Finally she could see, the rocky horizon just beyond the trees and how it gave way to the vast expanse of dark blue ocean. She burst through the trees and stumbled across the rocks just as she heard the wolves land behind her. She spun around on her back and crawled away from them as they stepped out from the brush and stalked towards her. A grey one was growling at her, teeth bared and Syrena did the same, from scent she could tell that this was the female shifter - Leah she recalled was the name that Jacob used for her. The grey wolf snapped her jaw in Syrena's direction and even if they were two different species she knew it was warning to get her to back down, and Syrena did, she knew she was in a bad position and had little leverage to use. She was just fifteen feet from the edge of the cliff, the water was just below... ready to take her back. She just had to make it to the edge...

The other wolf was a little smaller and carried a scent she didn't know, that one just stared at her with a kind of childish curiosity. It's head swiveled between her and Leah a low whine escaping him and them the grey wolf's head swung to face the other. Hazel eyes darted between them and wondered if they were having some kind of private communication, it seemed as much by the way their eyes would shift, tiny muscle expressions in their lupine faces.

While they were both looking away from her she crawled backwards again, slow, trying not to make too much sounded that would draw their attention back. How only eight feet away she started to get her feet under her, preparing to jump...

"Syrena! Wait!" a familiar voice broke out and the brunette's head whipped to see Embry crashing through the brush now, coming out to stand between the two wolves a panicked look on his face as he saw how close now she was to the edge. His eyes briefly flashing to the two wolves and then back to her. Syrena drew in a breath as she stood and looked to the shifter standing before her, slowly raisinghis hands and showing her his palms - showing that he meant no harm. However she still looked to his hand with distrust and a frown pulling at her brows.

"Step away from the edge of the cliff... that is a very long fall..." Embry coaxed her gently as he took a couple steps forward to her. She tensed and inched backwards a motion that caused Embry to freeze. "Please come back, Jacob is worried sick."

Hearing Embry say his name out loud, a tug pulled at her stomach. That unexplainable urge that drew her to the shifter, he called it an imprint but the mermaid had no idea what to do with these feelings that it caused in her. She had never heard a story where a mermaid went through anything like this. She had no idea what to do when facing this, she longed for her clan and her mother to advise her... tell her what to do.

Slowly Syrena shook her head, even as her eyes burned - she had known Jacob less than a few hours and already there was a deep emotional response building in her. She knew this was dangerous, so very dangerous... it was everything that her kind avoided - attachment, bonds, love... to have that with someone who was not one of their own was impossible and absolutely forbidden. Still there was that little voice in the back of her mind, whispering to her, urging her to accept... to walk back to Embry and go back, back to Jacob - and that little voice terrified her.

"Syrena, please this cliff is dangerous. Just step away from the edge at least." Embry implored with her.

"I can't." the brunette breathed lowly, her voice weak and nearly cracking.

There was a crashing through the trees and just as she looked up past Embry's shoulder she saw a very large, even larger than Leah and the other wolf was, russt brown wolf come charging through the brush. He lept forward and Embry had to jump out of the way as the dark brown eyes of the wolf were only locked onto the brunette form on the cliff. A whine escaped the wolf and Syrena knew, she knew without having to be told that this was Jacob. Unconsciously she took a step forward towards him and she heard the heavy sigh that came from the giant wolf. There was a breath that passed out each of their lips and then the form of the brown wolf shook and suddenly Jacob fell forward in human form. He was completely bare, he had landed on his knees but quickly he pushed himself up and looked to the brunette before him.

"Syrena..." he said her name and a warmth bloomed in her chest, hearing _him_ say her name. This was dangerous. "Honey, please..." he begged her his eyes shifting from her face to see the proximity she was to the edge of the rocks.

The brunette turned her head and looked down, she could see what the shifters were so worried about. There was jutting rocks all the way down and below the waves were turbulent and violently crashing against the base of the cliff. She saw the crash, and the spray of what that shot upwards, like the ocean was reaching for her, beckoning her to it's depths.

"Let's take you back, come back with me." Jacob then said gently, his voice warm and comforting. Even if his words were not. He wanted to take her back there, let his kind imprison her. He reached a hand out towards her, she felt like she was being tugged in two directions, one to the ocean below and then towards him.

"I can't." she breathed out again. She saw the instant devastation in his eyes when she refused. She couldn't stay there, she knew if she did that he would talk her into returning back with him. She would eventually give into the pull in her chest that drew her to him.

Before she could think too much more, she turned, knowing she had to make the jump. As her body spun she heard the roars from the wolves behind her as they realized what she was doing. She crossed two steps over the rocks before there was no space left before her. With a bend of her knees she launched herself off the edge of the cliff and suddenly she was falling, her arms flailed out at her sides and her hair flew up. Her heart seemed to fall out of her chest and her stomach dropped as she did. Being suspended in the air

It took only seconds and the water was rushing up to meet her, in the couple seconds before she plunged into the water she heard a deep, loud and heart wrenching cry come from above her; " _NOOO!"_

As the ocean enveloped her and her body sunk down her legs melted together and her tail formed. Relief flooded through her as she felt her fins come to life. She stretched out and then flicked her tail, the parts of her that had been aggravated since setting foot on land was made right. But now she was very aware of one thing that was not made right, it was that spot in the center of her chest that had been pulling her to Jacob. With her eyes closed she could see his face, see his eyes when she had refused him. The pain that had been there and Syrena felt... guilt - guilt for causing that expression, that pain. Her hands pulled at the dress, the white sundress that she had taken for herself from the shipwreck that had been the source of her punishment. The garment ripped under her fingers quite easily and she pulled it from her form, tossing it to the side to drift away on the tide.

Tilting her head up she looked up the the shimmering surface, seeing the swells of the powerful waves push back and forth overhead. _Jacob..._ a small voice in the back of her mind called for him. She saw a shadow above the water and Syrena knew it was Jacob, jumping in after her, coming to save her from the waves. He didn't know that the waves were her home... this was where she belonged. Panic filled her as she knew he would dive down after her, see what she was... would the others follow after? Her heart ached as she gave a flick of her tail and turned on a dime and delved deeper, sinking into the darker depths. She heard the splash overhead as Jacob's body hit the water. But Syrena fought the urge to turn around and look at him, a storm was rolling in making the waves rougher than they usually were, she felt a pain of worry rip through her, but she pushed it aside and swam, putting distance between her and the shifter who had claimed her as his imprint.

 _What have I done?_


	6. Drowning

**Author's Note;** Wow. You guys continue to blow me away with the love and support you are giving this story. I wasn't expecting many people to be that interested in a mermaid story for Twilight, and just wanted to write this as a personal project. Obviously there are a lot more people out there with a secret love of mermaids than I thought! Anyways, welcome to chapter 6! This chapter will be a bit shorter than the last couple of chapters but we are finally getting to the good stuff that I have been itching to write since I started this fic!

As always I would like to thank those have reviewed the last chapter; **riveriver, CarleighAlpha, GabbyfromtheBlock, Lilgreenearth97, Brookeworm3, Kivirantapetra0** and **Lyryenn** **.** The reviews keep me inspired and writing, so keep them coming!

 **Brookeworm & Lyryenn; **You guys always give me reviews that I love reading, but do not fear Syrena and Jacob will both get the answers they want soon! They just have to go through the panic first, but the good stuff is coming soon I promise!

 **riveriver;** Thank you my dear! You are always my #1 supporter!

* * *

Jacob had thought he had known fear, thought he had mastered his response to it. Being part of the pack he found himself facing danger constantly. He thought he had felt every kind of fear, from the fear of his first shift and the confusion associated with it to fear of loosing someone he loved like the day that he found out his mother had died in a car crash. Those were all experiences that he could now look back on and realize he had no idea what fear really was. Not even pulling Bella from the ocean had been like this, it just could not compare to seeing Syrena turn her back to him and launch herself over the edge of the cliff. This was not a cliff that any of the tribe or even the pack would jump from, the water here was too rough and the cliff itself too jagged, rocky and too high to be safe. When he had returned to his room and found it empty he had felt despair to know that she had run, that she had slipped out the window and ran away from him. He had immediately let the pack know, not because he wanted her caught but he wanted her safe. With a storm rolling in and the fact she was lost, shoe-less and alone made him worry for her, the imprint driving him to provide for her, protect her from everything - even the rain.

He had launched out of the house before even telling his father, his clothing shredding into tiny pieces as he fell onto four legs and took off running. He tracked her scent, Leah and Seth beat him to gaining on her trail. Jacob had begged them to just stop her, he would come for her. No one would touch what was his.

He had heard Embry arrive, share through the pack link where they had caught up to her. At first he was relieved that they had cornered her to a cliff, but then all at once terrified when he saw through Seth and Leah's eyes that she refused to move away from the edge. It had made him run faster than ever before.

But even he had not been enough to stop her. He didn't understand... didn't understand why she jumped but within seconds he was following after her. He heard Embry call his name when he jumped off the cliff less than twenty seconds after she did. The usual thrill of the jump was lost on him, his brown eyes only looked down to see the splash from where Syrena hit the water. Nothing else was in his mind but getting her and pulling her safely from the water. Seconds later he plunged into the cold water, he had to force his eyes closed as he sunk a few feet and then kicked his legs back up. He broke the surface and took in a big breath, he could hear the shouts of Embry from atop of the cliff but he did not look up to his friend, instead his eyes frantically looked around to see if Syrena had surfaced as well. He spun in each direction the waves kept coming but he did not see a head of brown hair come up anywhere.

His heart beat frantically in his chest as he realized that she was still under. He sucked in a second deep breath and dived under. The water was dark, even for his supernatural eyesight. He turned his head this way and that, desperately looking for Syrena - for a glimpse of her form, her white sundress, her hair... anything. The pull of the waves tossed him back and forth. Jacob felt his lungs burn and he was forced to return to the surface for air.

"Jake!" he heard Embry cry from above. Again Jacob ignored him, he had only one focus... find his imprint.

He dived back down again, this time descended down, heading deeper - his head still frantically looking around for any sign of Syrena. He did this again, and again and again. He was battered by the waves, they push his back and forth and crashed over his head when he surfaced for air. As the moments passed on he felt cold and dark despair start to spread, she had not surfaced, he did not see a form swimming towards the rocky beach, he had not seen any sign of her... had she been pulled down by the undertow? - was she struggling for air or in the waves that would batter her petite frame worse than what was happening to him? He was very aware that her life was on the line, he remembered all too well what it had been like pulling Bella from the water. Seeing her paler than usual, blue lips and limp... The image of Syrena like that tore his soul to pieces, the wolf inside raged at the idea of her like that - cold and still.

His wolf grew just a desperate, but Jacob had to fight back the burn of change that wanted to take hold of him. He knew the wolf would be next than useless looking for his imprint in the dived again, his limbs felt heavy, he could run patrols for days but the panic and rush of adrenaline was wearing at him quickly. The power of the ocean was growing as the storm over the ocean drew closer to land. He was growing exhausted... but he wouldn't give up - Jacob _couldn't_ give up. One way or another he would find her... if she was going to be lost at sea then life for him wouldn't have meaning, he would wither and die without her in this world with him.

Jacob struggled to surface just as a wave crashed over his head and forced him back under. Two kicks of his feet and he coughed as his head broke the surface again... His lungs and legs burned... Another wave and he was under again...

Thunder cracked over head, the storm was there.

His muscles seized and Jake felt the cold set in, the surface above his head slowly drifted away and the burning in his lungs became unbearable. It was like a weight was in his chest, his body wanted to breathe but he knew better than to give in. Closing his eyes the finality set in, this was the end. Even if he could find the strength in his body to swim back to the surface there was no strength left in his heart - not without Syrena... she had probably been pulled down and out to sea... lost forever. Now Jacob knew at the very least he would share her fate... since fate was too cruel to let them be together.

The darkness of the water deepened... the cold faded as his body became numb...

He felt then a touch across his face. Lazily eyes opened, not sure if he had imagined it or not. When he opened his eyes he saw... _her._

Syrena's face was suddenly right before his, her brown hair floating around her - dancing on the motions of the tides around them. Her hazel eyes connected with his and he saw such worry there, such pain... had he already crossed over? Had their spirits already found each other in whatever lay beyond death?

Jacob wasn't sure but he was sure that he saw her face drift closer to his, and her lips pressed against his - a soft sweet pressure, before everything went black.

* * *

Try as she had, Syrena got not bring herself to fully swim away. She had got no more than a hundred feet out before the pull to bring her back to Jacob stopped her. She looked out at the open sea ahead of her and knew that she should keep on swimming. But she felt gutted at the idea of moving even an inch more away from the shifter. She floated there for a moment, completely lost and unsure, returning to the sea should have been easier than this, nothing had ever anchored her before - except for her clan. But even then she had known that all the oceans were hers to explore and wander, yet now she felt unable to go. Her mind was haunted with the images of his eyes. When he had first looked at her... to just moments ago when he had looked at her scared and heartbroken.

She wasn't sure how long she had waited there, but before she had even made a conscious choice she had turned and was heading back towards the cliffs with a couple flicks of her tail. She stayed close to the bottom, her stomach almost skimming across the fine sand that coated the bottom of the sea floor. She looked up and could see Jacob, her mermaid eyes very able to see him but she was sure he could not see her - he did not now where to look for her. But it was clear he was searching for her, Syrena watched him dive down and look around frantically.

And he did so again and again and again.

Every time she watched him go to the surface and then back down, he would dive deeper, stay under longer... He was looking for her.

It dawned on her that of course he would think she had drowned... he had no idea what she was. His assumption would be that she was in some kind of danger if she did not surface and breathe air like he did.

Hiding behind a rock she watched him, she saw his movements start to slow, but he didn't head back for land. She see that he would dive again, and again. Minutes ticked by and she saw him tire out more and more.

 _He is drowning..._ A voice whispered in the back of her mind, worry racked through her like she had been hit by lightening. Her heart felt like it had frozen in her chest and the voice spoke to her again. _He is drowning for you..._

As Jacob's form started to sink in the water, he was moving less... finally Syrena could take no more. Panic filled her heart as she swam quickly to Jacob's sinking form, she saw his eyes were closed, was she too late? As soon as she reached him her hands reached out and touched the sides of his face - her palms pressed to his cheeks and she saw his eyes flutter open and met hers. Syrena knew she couldn't let him die, it was not an option or even a thought - it was an instinctual need.

Leaning her face closer to his she pressed her lips against his in a gentle kiss. Mermaids had very few abilities and in the stories that humans told about them some were exaggerated - some stated a mermaid's tear could grant eternal life, others said if you caught a mermaid that she would grant a wish... However there was one ability that was not just myth, the kiss from a mermaid did in fact have the ability to prevent a human from drowning. There was a warmth as she passed from her lips to his as she gave him this protection. Syrena held the kiss a moment longer than she knew she needed too. The pull in her chest had faded the moment that her lips has pressed against his, the draw to Jacob had been satisfied and she felt a calm ripple through her body - from the top of her head to to tip of her tail.

When she finally did pull away she looked to Jacob's face his eyes were still close but he looked peaceful. Her right hand drifted down and moved over his chest, still feeling the strong beat of his pulse under her palm. Alive... relief swept through her as she knew he would live.

She looked up to the surface, Embry and the others were on that cliff and soon they might follow into the water too looking for Jacob. The mermaid had half a mind to return him to shore, but that would run the risk of getting caught by the rest of them... It was clear to her in that moment that try and she might she _could not_ just run away and leave Jacob behind. Whatever this imprint was she had to understand it, if she was to understand how it had changed her - and Syrena did feel like something had been changed deep down inside of her.

Wrapping her arms around his frame she went for her second option, it took a few slow movements of her tail before she could get them both moving, his added weight was enough to slow her in the water, she turned them both and took Jacob with her as she swam away from the cliffs and away from shore, looking for a place of privacy for them both.

Then she would have to talk to him, get the answers she needed... and finally tell him what she was.


	7. Truths

**Author's Note ; **WHEW! Finally got out this chapter, seems like forever since I updated. Sorry to all you lovely readers for the wait I had wanted to get this chapter out sooner but had a funeral to go too two weeks ago out of town and then Canadian thanksgiving this past weekend, which meant all of last week was spent baking and prepping for the feast. But now I am back on track and will be writing more regularly and will be able to get chapters out on a more consistent basis.

As always I want to take the chance to thank everyone who submitted a review on the last chapter. I love them all and they make me love to write. Special thanks to; **Brookeworm3, CarleighAlpha, Lyryenn, leonia the leo, Chezleee, LornaRose, Lady Ravanna, OilyTears, xXMoonlitSorrowsXx, RaeBrookee,** and **SleepiPanda** to your reviews!

 **Brookeworm3 ;** Yes the kiss from a mermaid works the same, it will protect a person from drowning. She used it on Jacob, interesting little tidbit it was Syrena's first time ever using it. She had never had a reason to save a person before.

 **OilyTears ;** Thank you that is honestly one of the best compliments I could ever receive. I love when I get emotional reading other people's work so to know that I can do that to others is an honor.

 **LornaRose ;** Hahaha, well spotted. But yes, Syrena hasn't ever witnessed or seen what love between a female and a male is like. Plus no mermaids have ever been an imprint so she is in no way prepared for it's affect on her.

Now read on and hope you all enjoy. Drop me a review at the end if you can!

* * *

Dripping of water. That was the first sound that Jacob heard as he started to wake. The second thing he became aware of was the fact he was lying on some damp, hard rock, part of him ached where the hard edges were digging into his frame. Confusion filled him as he tried to remember the very last thing that had happened, he didn't have to look down to realize he was naked as the day he was born. It was something that had happened often after his first shift. In the early days of his phasing it had been difficult to learn to control the change and often Jacob had spent days and nights in wolf form unable to shift back. Those had been turbulent days, the emotions and the changes he went through were more than any one person could handle. But inevitably he would tire, even in wolf form and eventually would sleep and simply wake up naked in the forest and then stumble home. Once he gain control of his wolf and the phase the times were that had happened had significantly decreased. But of all the places he had woken up, none had been like this.

A groan escaped him as he started to push himself up, her eyes closed as he focused on remembering, then suddenly everything did come back to him, he remembered the cliff, he remembered Syrena... he could see her face in his mind before she turned and jumped. Jacob also remembered being in the water, he remembered being dragged down... and again he remembered her face. He remembered that the last thing he had seen was her face.

His heart hammered in his chest as her remembered it all. How was he alive? Where was he? What had happened to his imprint?

Jacob sat up quickly and his eyes darted around, however what he saw confused him even more. Rock was everywhere, it was above him, beside him... below him. He quickly put together that it was some kind of cave, turning his head he saw a gap in the rock above his head, he could catch a glimpse of dark grey skies. But the opening was no less than 70 feet up... How had he ended up in a cave? There was a soft sloshing sound of water and Jacob whirrled around to face the source of the noise.

His brown eyes fell instantly to the feminine form about 15 feet away, a familiar head if brown hair and a pair of hazel eyes were facing in his direction. Jacob instantly felt a wave if relief rush through him, like a warm blanket after walking through a blizzard. He saw Syrena's face and instantly his lips spread into a grin, she was okay, she was alive. He all but fell to his knees and started to crawl over the wet rocks towards hers.

The female seemed propped against a rock, leaning on her forearms and the rest of her hidden behind the rock. She seemed to still be in the water... Jacob hurried forward but saw the way her eyes widen in panic and she slipped back, hiding further behind the rock. Jacob froze, the memory of what had happened on the cliff rocked him, he remembered that same wide eyed expression, she was afraid of him. Inside of his soul, his wolf whined in despair... his imprint was not meant to fear him. He would rather walk on a field of broken glass, drag himself over it even rather than have her fear him. He felt his face crumple and Syrena's head tilted up in response, her eyes regarded him from head to toe and seeing that he had stopped moving she pulled herself back up to the same position she had been in before.

"You jumped." Jacob finally said lowly, unable to get the memory from replaying in his head. Syrena stared at him evenly, there was a shadow of guilt in her eyes and she gave a nod. "Why?" he then breathed.

"Had to." she responded after a few seconds and this caused his brows to furrow in deep confusion.

"You would have rather drowned than trust me?" Jacob asked the pain of what he words meant strained his voice.

Syrena ducked her head a little her eyes falling away from his, she breathed in before finding the strength to look at him again. Slowly she shook her head.

"Not like that..." she whispered. "Not drown... Ocean is safe."

Her words confused Jacob how could she think jumping from the cliff was the safer option? They had been higher than what even the pack liked to jump from. The jagged edges of the rocks on the cliff and in the water mad it too dangerous for even them. Not to mention the churning water from the storm. The waves had been so huge. How had she even survived? And for that matter how had he?

"What happened? I remember... I remember being pulled under." Jacob then said and gazed around the cave again, He could only see one way in and that was the opening in the rock above, too high for them to climb out of and certainly not how they had gotten in. "How did we even get here?" the question came from his mouth and he turned back and looked to Syrena, still hiding behind the rock. He inched forward to her again.

He froze for a second time but only as he realized from what he could see was that the brunette was as naked as he was. She had been looking at him unabashedly, but maybe that was why she was hiding behind the rock. Because she was bare. What had happened to her dress? Jacob was naked because before he had jumped in after her he had shifted from wolf form, but she had jumped into the ocean fully clothed...

"How did you not drown?" Jacob then asked, he remembered not seeing her, she didn't surface and when he dove under she was no where to be found.

"Ocean is safe." Syrena repeated lowly.

"How can you say that?" Jacob asked exasperated, how could she think that? The ocean was dangerous, the current and tide had been strong... she was so small and petite she would have been dragged out if not by some miracle. "The storm was dangerous the and waves were..." Jacob started to say but his words slowly drifted off.

When he had started to speak Syrena had slipped back from the rock, floating back into the water and she drifted around to float in the pool of water before Jacob. He couldn't help but look down from her face, his eyes wandering down her form - his cheeks even heating up when his gaze hovered over her breasts, able to see the rosy pink tips against smooth fair skin. He had seen Leah naked more times than he could count after she shifted but this was different, this was his imprint. However his gaze didn't stay there, instead his attention was quickly captured by a shimmer in the water further down her body. Though the lighting in the cave wasn't the best he could still make out enough to know that it wasn't legs legs he saw moving back and forth in a slow, hypnotic pace under her hips. He saw the glimmer of blue-green scales in the water. Scales...

All at once Jacob knew what he was looking at but his mind still had a hard time grasping it. Syrena didn't have legs, she had a tail, he saw the fishing passing through the water under her. His eyes widened and slowly raised up her body again and found her face. She was staring at him with a nearly unreadable expression, there was worry, fear and anxiety written in the depths of her hazel eyes.

Everyone in the pack had known from her scent alone that she wasn't human, Embry had known it when he tracked her down in the woods. They had all seen the evidence of her supernatural nature when she had hissed at Embry as well... But none of them had known what it was she could be...

Jacob's mouth opened and closed like a fish as he stared at her, his mind scrambling to find words to say - any words.

"You... You're a..." he finally stammered out and his eyes dropped back down to double check and make sure the tail was still there. "-a mermaid?" he then asked breathlessly.

There was a silence that spanned for a moment and Syrena slowly nodded to him, her form bobbing up and down slightly in the water. Jacob crawled closer to the edge of the rock and looked her over. Syrena hesitated before she swam a bit closer and her hands came out of the water and grasped the edge. Both of them gravitated towards each other, Jacob could never remember being more stunned or more mesmerized at the same time. He noticed how her eyes wavered across his face, trying to read a reaction from him, did she expect him to fear her? - to be repulsed? Just a day ago she had loathed vampires, but when he had seen her, seen her fangs and her hiss... it had been in that moment when Leah had accused her of being as bad as a vampire - whatever she was, it was then that Jacob realized the power of the imprint. Even if she had been a vampire he would still feel the same, it wouldn't matter to him. Nothing mattered except her.

He was sure Bella would laugh if she could know that thought had passed through his head.

Slowly Jacob reached out a hand and his brushed brushed against her damp cheek, sliding a wet lock of hair back. She heard her hold her breath and her head tilted up - looking at him fully.

"You are amazing..." he finally said and there was a spilt second of hesitation on her face before her lips turned up into a grin. "You saved me... I remember seeing your face before I passed out." Jacob then said shaking his head in almost disbelief, he was the protector... but his imprint had been the one to save him.

Syrena nodded. "I couldn't go... I was scared... but couldn't leave you." the mermaid admitted in a whisper. Her words tugged at Jacob's heart, even if she didn't know it she was admitting that she too felt the pull of the imprint, it may not have been as obvious but it was there. She had, had the chance to leave - a whole ocean to disappear in, but she had stayed and she had saved his life.

"Why were you scared? I promised no one would hurt you..." Jacob then said, though he was glad he knew the truth, it had still caused a number on him to get to this point. To know she had run, to see her jump when he had, had no idea she would survive and then thinking she had drowned...

"You hunt vampires." the brunette murmured and she pulled back from his touch, her wide expressive eyes became reserved and wary again.

"I am made to protect my tribe and our lands from them. They are the only thing we hate and fight." Jacob explained, had she taken Leah's words to heart? Did she fear that they would think she was the same as the bloodsuckers? "They kill innocent people, and we stop them." he asserted and watched as a pained expression passed over her face. She started to retreat, just for a moment her form effortlessly slid under the surface of the water and Jacob perked up becoming anxious and attentive - was she leaving? He watched the glimmer of her form just under the surface and a moment later her head broke the surface again and her guilt ridden eyes looked to his.

"Syrena... It's only vampires we hate." he tried to assure her, she may have fangs but that didn't make her like _them._

"If you knew truth..." the mermaid replied, a deep strain of despair echoed in her voice. "You will hate me too."

Jacob tried to reach for her but she floated further back from him and he was half tempted to jump in the water just to get her into his arms.

"What truth? There is nothing that would make me hate you." he vowed his arm still reaching out towards her.

His eyes darted her her lower lip as he saw her bite of her lower lip, just the hint of the fangs hidden in her mouth poked out. A small reminder of what had made his pack fear her and what she could be. She had seemed vicious but he remembered all the bed time stories his mother told her, or how his sisters when they were children played the movie 'The Little Mermaid' on repeat - even if she seemed fierce he could not imagine a mermaid being some kind of horrible creature like vampires were.

"Jacob..." she said his name in a broken, pained way that it threatened to crush his heart. She seemed reluctant to speak, like the words were caught in her throat. But she closed her eyes and breathed in before she spoke, words finally spilling from her mouth. "My kind... like vampires... we hunt humans from the sea..."

Slowly her eyes opened and she regarded him with an even expression, trying to seem unaffected but he could see the truth in her eyes - the fear there.

"What?" Jacob breathed after a moment, still staring at her and trying to wrap his mind around what she had just told him. Her beautiful face was not something he equated to the horrible truth that she had just told him. Then again vampires were beautiful, but their's was a cold and brutal beauty one that never affected Jacob or any of his pack. But Syrena was not like that, her beauty was warm and there was a spirit and a life in her hazel eyes that was impossible to find in the ruby red irises of the undead vampire. Most of all she had a heartbeat, he could hear it even then, pacing a little bit faster than it should have been - she was nervous his supposed, scared of his reaction.

"For all time we have done this... Pull men from boats, drown them... kill them... eat them..." Syrena continued in a low and guilt ridden whisper. She was ashamed now, before Jacob realizing he was looking at her and did not see her for what she truly was. He had said he was amazed by her when really he should be horrified and be running from her, from what she was capable of doing to him. But even that thought, the thought of pulled him down under the surface, to sink her teeth into his and strip flesh and muscle from bone was one that agonized her... it made her want to claw at her own ribs, pry them open one by one and tear her heart from her chest. Such passionate feelings like none she had ever known or maybe even any of her kind had ever known - there were no stories about this, nothing to prepare her for _him._

Because of him she was for the first time in her existence, ashamed of what she was. Only now when she looked into his eyes, was she aware of what a horror she was.

Silence permeated the cave as the pair stared at the other, both their minds running at a mile a minute to try and understand.

"You've... killed people?" Jacob finally asked her.

Slowly Syrena nodded. "Was banished... I exposed myself to humans... They killed my friend... my sister..." she explained, and Jacob remembered in the shift how Embry had thought about what Syrena had revealed to Sam and him. The confusion that they had shared about trying to understand what they meant. It seemed to be the utmost important law of the supernatural world, never let humans finds out. The vampires had their own rulers - the Volturi, is what Bella had called them. They acted as Kings of the bloodsuckers and enforced their laws. So it wasn't surprising now to understand that her banishment had to do with exposing what she was to humans, but it also was not hard to figure out what had become of those who she had exposed herself too.

"Who were they?" he asked, Jacob didn't _want_ to ask but he needed to know. He needed to understand.

"A family... I just want to see... I have no family, only clan..." she said and there was real sorrow in her voice, "I climb their ship and look... a man, a woman and two children, all so happy. Amara can to get me before I cause trouble... but their creature saw me, made noise. Humans saw me too."

"Amara died, they kill her and my clan came. Tipped the boat and had to pull them down. Leave none behind." Syrena said and her head dipped, eyes closed as the memories replayed in her mind. She remembered the water had turned ruby red, first from Amara's blood and then from the humans. They did not need to die... Syrena knew that. It had been a very long time since her kind had actively hunted humans for their daily meals. The world was different now than it had been in years gone by.

"But did _you_ kill them?" Jacob asked, his voice almost a whine. He remembered hearing about the Coast Guard being sent out looking for a ship that never came back to shore. He remembered hearing in the news that they had found the boat capsized... it had seemed like some kind of tragic accident and he had paid it no mind. But now he knew... knew there had been more to it.

Syrena blinked at the question. She had been the one to climb the boat, been the one who had exposed herself to the humans... they had seen what she was. But it was her clan that had responded to Amara's death, they had been the ones to pull down the humans. Syrena had been so distraught over Amara that by the time she was pulled away from her body the humans had been killed and already half devoured.

Slowly she shook her head, though she was the cause her hands and fangs had not been what had ended their lives.

"Have you ever killed a human?" he asked her lowly.

This time she did nod her head, she couldn't deny feasting on human flesh when her clan had hunted humans on the rare occasion. "I've eaten them..." she murmured.

"Were they already dead?" he then asked her quickly. Syran blinked a second time... but slowly nodded her head. She had never been the one to go to the surface and drag a human down. Never had to use her beauty to lure them, or her voice to trick them. There had been others in the clan for that, each had a role, one that you earned. Syrena hadn't earned the right to go to the surface and look at the humans, to be the one who hunted for her clan... that was why Amara had come after her. To remind her that it wasn't their place... her curiosity to see a human alive and as they were before one of her own drowned them was what had gotten her friend killed. Every time she had eaten a human they had been killed already by another of her clan.

Jacob let out a sigh of relief, it may not have been perfect... her kind may be killers but Syrena herself was not a killer. He could defend her against his pack, against the Elders if they wanted to punish her for what she was - even as his imprint. He would make them see, she was not as dangerous as they feared and she had never killed. That would be enough to placate them.

"You are not a killer Syrena..." he said lowly. "And even if you were, you are still my imprint..." Even if she had been a vampire the bond of the imprint would have been the same.

"I don't care what you are... you are _mine._ " he affirmed and Syrena slowly drifted back to him, her shock and wonder on her face was clear as day. She was shocked by his acceptance of her, he should be afraid of her, his should be horrified by her and disgusted... But here he was and again he laid a claim to her that soothed the agitation that lingered in her chest. The strange and unknown feeling she had when it came to Jacob.

"I don't understand that... Don't understand imprint." Syrena murmured to him as she now floating just before the edge, her face bobbing just a few inches under his. Jacob inhaled her scent, now understanding why she had smelt like rain... smelt so clean and like the ocean itself. It was a scent his wolf would remember even if the world was burning, one that would anchor him for all the days to come.

"Come back to La Push with me... I'll explain. We all will explain."

Syrena frowned slightly, she knew the rest of his pack did not trust her. Those he called the "Elders" would imprision her... why would he ask her to go back there? What would they say or do once they found out what she was? That her kind was real? But before she could ask any of those questions Jacob spoke again, "Come home with me... I will not let anything happen to you. We have our own secrets to keep and we will keep yours as well. Syrena... trust me." he begged gently.

In his dark brown eyes she could see that he was telling her the truth. After a moment the mermaid finally gave into the urge that was tugging at her heart. Slowly she nodded and instantly Jacob smiled, a smile that made her think of sunny days where she would lie out on some rocks and soak up the warmth. His smile widened and Syrena knew what she had to do.

With a flick of her tail her body rose up and her hands grasped at the back of his neck and her lips met his. It was a deep kiss and she felt the warmth that passed from his to her, felt her heart and soul delight with the touch. With a firm but gentle strength she pulled him into the water with her, soft splashing sounds filled the gave as the large shifter was pulled into the water and he offered no resistance. Once under her arms circled him and her tail moved, diving them deeper into the depths and down to the exit of the underwater cave and back out to the ocean... and from there, back to La Push.


End file.
